ANAHEIM – In his first playoff run, Patrick Maroon got the equivalent of a master’s degree in two semesters.

Maroon appeared in 13 games for the Ducks last spring, He scored, he delivered hits and he experienced both the thrill of a series victory and the disappointment of a Game 7 loss. Now it’s time to build on all that.

If the Ducks are to beat Winnipeg in this first-round playoff series, they will need smart play from Maroon, a beefy winger who has been put on the first line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Before Thursday’s Game 1 at Honda Center, the 26-year-old Maroon sounded prepared to apply last year’s lessons.

“I got some experience and I learned how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup,’’ Maroon said. “We just have to amp up the intensity level more than it was last year. We know how hard it is, and now I know what to expect.’’

Maroon and teammates Frederik Andersen, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, Sami Vatanen were all playoff neophytes a year ago, when the Ducks beat Dallas in the first round but then lost to the Kings.

In a smaller role, Maroon totaled two goals and five assists in 13 playoff games.

“I saw a lot,’’ Maroon said. “I saw what desperate hockey teams do to crawl back and come out hard, how to play in Game 7, things like that. We have to come out strong. We can’t let them take all the emotion. We’ve got to come out for the first shift and show them that we’re going to be pushing all the way through.’’

Maroon’s game grew in 2014-15, his first full NHL season. He had a knee injury in October but totaled nine goals and 25 assists in 71 games, and also finished fairly strong, with six points in his last 10 games.

Maroon’s game has seen a general upgrade, and now he will be able to call upon last year’s experience in what figures to be a hard-hitting series against Winnipeg.

“If you haven’t played in an NHL playoff game,’’ Coach Bruce Boudreau said, “all you’ve done is heard about how much the game is ramped up, and the physicalness of everything.’’

That’s one area in which Maroon should thrive. He’s on the top line not necessarily for his scoring ability but to create time and space for Getzlaf and Perry, and to counter-balance some of Winnipeg’s bigger bodies.

Indeed, less than five minutes into the first period Thursday, Maroon was involved in a post-whistle scrum with Jets defenseman Mark Stuart. Maroon and Stuart found each other again at the end of the period, when Maroon was upset about a hit to Getzlaf moments earlier.

From the start, Maroon seemed more focused on going into the corners, delivering hits and keeping the puck alive in the Jets’ zone, which is good news for his linemates.

“Last year, I learned how intense the playoffs are,’’ Maroon said. “You can’t get too excited. You can’t let all your excitement get built up for the first game. I think you’ve got to come in relaxed and play it like any other game. But you’ve got to know that it’s the playoffs, and everything is going to happen faster.’’

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